First Position
by LoverlyLit
Summary: Kai and Jinora have never talked before; that is, until Kai gets dragged into a local ballet company's production, and it just happens to be where Jinora dances. / Modern-high school-ballet AU.
1. Giselle

**AN: Ballet AU. BALLET. GISELLE. KAI IN TIGHTS.**

**I wrote this one for Kainora Week (originally titled Harmony) and was pleasantly surprised to see people liked it. A lot. So I've decided to continue it, which I definitely do not mind, because they're really fun to write.**

I.

The first day Jinora saw Kai walk into the studio, she almost laughed.

She had seen him around school before, and he was absolutely the last boy she would ever expect to be dragged into a ballet performance. Usually the unlucky guys who the girls in the company would ask were the ideal Prince Charming's: blonde, fair-skinned, tall, slender. Kai, with his messy undercut, his tendency towards oversized flannels, and his flair for ill-fated adventures that usually resulted in either detention or the emergency room, was very much _not_ Prince Charming. Not that she had actually spoken to him or had any plans to, but she did overhear more than her fair share of gossip during the period she spent working in the school library. Jinora found herself debating whether this was amusing or just plain sad.

Seeing Kai attempt ballet, well, that made up her mind.

To be honest, his extensions were absolutely horrible, and more than once the teacher rolled her eyes or slammed her fist against her head, to which Kai protested, "I'm _trying_!" multiple times. Jinora sat against the wall with some other girls, watching this, and had to smother her face in her novel to muffle her laughs. And when she did this, even though all the other girls were in stitches as well, as she lowered her book with the intent to keep reading, most of time her eyes found Kai's. Or maybe his found hers, or however it worked, but his amused smirk was enough to make her cheeks heat up and for her to force her eyes back to the page where she had no recollection of what had just happened to the heroine.

II.

The first time Jinora actually spoke to Kai, it caught her so off-guard that she choked on her sip of tea and quite possibly almost died from shock.

He had approached her while she was waiting for her dad to come and pick her up at the theater after a kind-of dress rehearsal. She was just sitting in one of the audience seats, deep into her favorite chapter of _Pride and Prejudice_, her silver thermos pressing against her lips and her company jacket supplying her with extra coziness when he spoke.

"This part's pretty boring."

Jinora jumped in her seat and coughed out the burning sensation in her throat, even though she couldn't do anything to help her cheeks, which were undoubtedly on fire. Once she felt composed enough to actually say something that wasn't _completely_ idiotic, she took a deep breath and glanced over her shoulder at the apologetic grin of the boy standing behind her.

"How long were you standing there?"

He shrugged. "A couple chapters."

She stared at him, her jaw slack.

He vaulted over the theater seat next to her and sat down. "It's not like I actually read all of it. You read twice as fast as I do," he said with a kind of awed tone, and Jinora took another deep breath. "Anyways, it's _Pride and Prejudice_, right?" She nodded. "Nice. My fost- I mean, my mom, she likes those kind of books." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, and Jinora couldn't help but find that a bit cute.

"That's ... awesome?" Jinora replied for lack of a better word, and then it dawned on her that she may have made him uncomfortable, because that came out sarcastic or at the least very uninterested when in reality she was really interested and she didn't want him to think she was rude and she was getting so flustered by the way he awkwardly was fiddling with his zipper and not talking and she _needed to backtrack_. "I mean, that _is_ really good, I mean, those - these, um, they're good books."

_Good spirits, Jinora, you're such an idiot._

"Yeah, so, uh ..." Kai grinned at her, and even though she barely knew him (no, she thought, more like she didn't know him _at all_), she felt like she would do anything for him to smile at her like that again. "How long have you been in dance?"

She laughed and closed her book, slipping it into her bag. "A _long_ time. Since I was three."

He rubbed his neck again. "Oh. I was wondering because, you know, you're really good."

At that, Jinora looked up at him, and he had his eyes shut tight and a faint shade of red was coloring his tan cheeks. She flushed as well. "Thanks, Kai."

He opened his eyes and attempted to resume his old attitude. "Ah, so you _do_ know who I am," he said, kind of with a sense of swagger, and leaned back. "I wasn't aware we were on a first-name basis, you know."

Jinora wondered if it was physically possible to blush so much in a five-minute conversation. "Well, seeing as how I don't know your last name –"

"No, no, it's fine!" he protested. "It's just, uh, yeah, just, don't even listen to me." She laughed, and for a second, it almost looked as if Kai zoned out or something. He cleared his throat. "But, um, I don't really think I know your name. Yet. I mean, nobody's said it directly to me, or maybe I forgot, but I just –"

"Jinora," she smiled.

Kai looked back at her, and his mouth pulled itself into a wry grin. "Jinora," he repeated, and she decided she liked the way her name fit into his mouth. "Well, Jinora, I have a feeling you know more about this ballet than I do, and to be very honest, I'm really confused about it."

She sighed, partly exasperated, partly in disbelief. "You _cannot_ sit there and tell me you've never heard of _Giselle_."

He sat there and said nothing.

She rolled her eyes. "It's about a woman who loves a man, and when she dies, her soul is brought back to life with the intent to kill that man, but her love saves him from the afterlife."

Kai stared at her and laughed. "That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard of, you know."

"It's a beautiful love story!"

"It's so stupid!" he came back with, flailing his hands in the air. "It's completely pointless, but it does explain a lot, but it's still pointless!"

She sighed, "It was written during the romantic period. Of _course_ it's pointless." And, of course, that launched a three-minute discussion on the different periods of ballet, which Kai started critiquing thoroughly and Jinora frantically explained. When Tenzin called her cell to tell her he was parked out front, she somehow managed to spare a minute before wrapping up the conversation with Kai and excusing herself.

And when she glanced back before closing the door of the auditorium, he was still looking at her.

III.

The first time Kai asked her to help him, she was watching a Disney marathon with her siblings.

It was via text, of course. She had been texting him ever since the latest rehearsal for_ Giselle_. Ikki had insisted upon watching her choice of movies the previous night, and so had Meelo. Rohan just shifted sides between the two of them, so Jinora called a truce and suggested a Disney marathon the next day. Of course, she hadn't quite anticipated getting woken up at six-thirty in the morning for _Lilo and Stitch_ in the basement.

Now, it was a quarter after noon, and the opening number to _Beauty and the Beast _was backing up Meelo's ear-splitting vocals when she felt her phone twitch next to her on the couch. Eagerly, she slid her thumb across the screen to read Kai's reply. It was plain and simple.

He wanted help with his ballet.

For some reason, she blushed. She didn't really know why, but Kai did have a tendency to make her feel a little flustered. What was she supposed so say? Agree? Well, obviously. But how could she reply without sounding too needy? Or without sounding uninterested and bored? She bit her lip, staring at the screen so earnestly she didn't notice Ikki peering over her shoulder.

"Who's Kai?" she asked, and Jinora almost screamed. Ikki noticed her red cheeks and gasped, squealing in her high-pitched voice, "Is Kai your boyfriend?"

"No!" Jinora sputtered, clicking off the phone and shoving it in her pocket. "No, he's not, for your information, not that it's your business."

"Dad!" Ikki screamed anyways, "Jinora has a boyfriend!"

"What?" came the replying shout from upstairs. Jinora groaned. "Not for long, she doesn't!"

"Dad, I don't! Ikki's lying!" Jinora insisted.

"He asked for help with ballet!"

"He _what_?"

"Oh my gosh," Jinora moaned. "He's the guy who's in the dance, Dad, it's nothing, I swear!"

"I bet he's _really_ handsome," Ikki cooed, leaning in. "Did you invite him to watch the movies with us? Like a date? What's his favorite movie? Is it this movie? Does he bring you books like the Beast does for Belle? Is this your favorite movie because it reminds you of your boyfriend? I'll bet it is."

After trying to dodge questions from Ikki and off-handed comments from an uninterested Rohan and attempting to survive through Meelo, who _insisted_ on singing every word along with the movie, Jinora decided on simply texting Kai a time and place, which ended up being the local park, because she didn't dare bring him over while her parents were home and her siblings were living.

When she pulled up to the park in leggings and a sweater, she started to second guess her choice. There were kids everywhere, like a swarm of screaming bees on the play equipment. People walking dogs dotted the rest of the landscape, and she doubted she would find a suitable place void of both children and dog droppings. But where else would they have gone? The studio was either closed or busy, and her house had already been crossed off the list. Maybe she should have just said no. Maybe she should've made up a somewhat-true reason to not help him. Maybe she should've waited until the house was empty, but then her dad would be suspicious, and –

"Hey."

Jinora jumped. Her face flushed and she cursed herself for getting scared so easily lately. She turned to face Kai's grinning face in the car window. Laughing, she rolled it down. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, you kind of asked me to come," he pointed out.

"I mean standing next to my car."

He shrugged. "You were just sitting there for a long time. So."

"I guess I zoned out," she told him casually, even though she was morbidly embarrassed. "You don't mind meeting here?"

He furrowed his brows and surveyed the territory, and something tugged at Jinora's gut at her sudden realization of just how _attractive_ he was. "It's fine," he decided. "But why didn't you want to meet at your house?"

"I'm not an only child," she said sadly. She opened the car door and Kai jumped out of the way.

"Ah," he nodded. "The dreaded siblings. I see."

They started walking together. Her breath came out a bit frosty in the November air. "Do you have any siblings?"

He shook his head. "No. Sometimes I want some, but nah. How old are yours?"

She let out a deep breath and watched the white fog drift in the air. "My sister is 14, my oldest brother is 11, and my other brother just turned 4."

"So you guys have some age gaps?"

"Yeah," Jinora sighed. "Surprisingly, Ikki - my sister - she's the least bearable." She chuckled bitterly, remembering just a while ago when Ikki was ruthlessly attacking her in ways of her love life. "Anyways, um, what exactly do you want help with?"

Kai raised his eyebrows and whistled low. "How about everything?"

She laughed. "Okay, then. You've been in the classes for a couple weeks, though. How about you tell me what you _do_ know?"

"I know the squat."

Jinora closed her eyes and tried to suppress a smile. "That's a plié."

"I know how to kneel?" he tried, and she busted out laughing.

"You're not even that funny," she complained, giggling, and he pouted. She was about to make another jab, but instead she looked around them. "How about here?"

Kai stopped walking and glanced around them. They were kind of in a leveled off section of grass near the gravel pathway that ringed the park. "But people can see us here," he whined.

She pointed a finger at him. "Don't complain. I agreed to helping you out."

"Oh, please," he rolled his eyes. "Don't use that against me. I just don't want to look like a complete idiot on stage."

"Then why did you say agree to all this?" she asked him, and her tone was so sincere Kai looked away.

"To be honest?" He mirrored her as she sat down and began to stretch. The grass was a bit wet. "Girls in leotards."

Jinora gaped at him. "You're joking."

"I'm not," he held up his hands in defense. "I'm being honest, okay?"

She opened her mouth to say something, but blushed and looked away. "Is that the only reason?"

"Well," he edged. "I'm also getting paid fifty dollars. That's not exactly a bad thing. To be completely honest with you, I thought this would be easy. Just show up, dress pretty, twirl a lot and that's it. But it's kind of hard work." She raised her eyebrows at him and he groaned. "Don't tease me, okay? I haven't been in ballet my whole life _unlike some people_."

Jinora rolled her eyes and stood up. He scrambled to his feet. "Come on," she told him. "Let's see your squats."

IV.

The first time Jinora saw Kai in tights, she didn't stop laughing for a full two minutes.

He had somehow managed to get away with sweatpants for all the past rehearsals, and though Jinora thoroughly questioned him on his methods every time they had a spare minute, he wouldn't divulge his secrets. Seeing him before the performance, however, made up for all of that.

"Don't you dare say a word to me," he had warned her before the performance when she approached him with her hand over her mouth. When the laughing fits started, he just leaned against the wall and glared at her with utter distaste.

"Okay, okay, I'm good now, promise," she said shakily, but another look at Kai in mascara and she had to excuse herself to go to the bathroom in order to forget those images.

When she heard the opening number start up, she had to practically run out of the bathroom and into the wings to catch Kai up on stage. And even though his positions were nearly spot-on, Jinora thought that he looked pretty much completely ridiculous, and she bit her knuckles to keep from laughing. But she was already plotting on how she was going to get him to be in the spring presentation, and how she was going to manage to get the lead.


	2. Meat-eaters

**AN: I got a few requests for a continuation for the ballet AU I did for Kainora Week. Looks like people enjoyed it oops**

**I'm calling it "First Position" because every section starts with "The first ..." for some unknown reason **

**SO HERE YOU GO.**

I.

The first time Jinora actually called Kai, it was not under the best circumstances.

November was half over, and with that, everything began to transform into a red and green landscape, including the ballet company. Christmas meant the customary performance that pretty much everybody put on - _The Nutcracker_. It also meant the senior section of the company was thrown into five classes a week, while the junior company got to relax, since they'd been working on it for two months while the older girls were doing _Giselle_. And of course, that meant Jinora was beyond busy. And _of course_, that meant less time for absolutely everything.

Including Kai.

"Oh, um," she fiddled with her hair nervously, tucking the stray strands back up into her bun. "Yeah, so ... I'm really sorry, but I kind of have dance tonight."

A pause. "I thought you said you didn't."

"I thought I didn't," she admitted. "I'm so sorry, I swear. You're not already at the park, are you?"

And another pause. Jinora swallowed. "Um, maybe?"

She groaned. "Oh, _gosh_, Kai, I'm so sorry about this –"

"It's okay, it's okay," he reassured her, but her stomach still stung with guilt. "The park's not going anywhere, right? We can hang out some other time. No problem."

"Yeah," she sighed. "Maybe I can meet you there after dance? It's only an hour rehearsal this time."

"Actually ... are you inside?"

"Um, yeah? Why?"

"Look out the window."

Jinora quirked a brow and surveyed the dressing room for a window. The only one was at the very top of the far wall. She brushed past a few dancers and stood on the tip of her pointe shoes - thank the spirits she'd already dressed - to see a steady rain flooding the yard. She gawked. "Kai, you're not outside, are you?"

"Well, uh ... it's not my favorite shirt anyways."

"Kai!"

"It's fine, I totally had it coming."

"Kai."

"It's fine," he insisted, and she rolled her eyes. "Maybe we can meet somewhere else, right? It'll only be seven by the time you're done. We can get something to eat."

For a moment, that sounded like a date, but Jinora felt her cheeks go hot and reassured herself that _no_, they were _just_ friends, and they were _just_ getting food. "Yeah, of course."

"Actually, scratch that, um," Kai started, and she pressed the phone deeper into her ear, "could you still meet me at the park? In the parking lot."

"Um, sure," she furrowed her brows. "Why?"

"You'll see." Kai said simply, and his pride echoed through the tiny speaker. "You should probably go. See you."

"Yeah, bye," she waited for him to turn off his phone, and the moment he did, everyone was called back into the studio.

II.

The first time Kai bought a girl a gift, it was McDonalds.

As he talked with Jinora on the phone, his sweater soaked through despite the the shelter of an oak tree, he fashioned this perfect mirage in his head. He could go out to dinner with her (completely platonically), maybe even buy her a meal with his own money, and they could chat over steaming plates of chicken and potatoes.

But you couldn't buy two meals with a ten dollar bill. So that went down the drain.

He had then just planned on getting take-out from that nearby Chinese place, but as he coasted by in his foster parent's car, there was a red sign on the door announcing it was closed. _On Friday evening?_ Kai thought. _Who does that?_

Apparently, a lot of places.

Which left him with McDonalds drive-through. It was a punch to his pride to sulk (sopping wet) in the drivers seat with the smell of fat and grease wafting in the air, but hey, it was cheap. So he reclined the seat and pulled out his phone, listening to the rain hammer the roof of the car. Within minutes, Kai jumped at the sound of a received text, and he eagerly tapped on the notification to see who it was.

"_Look up,_" he read, his mouth forming the words in time with his brain. Reluctantly, he raised his eyes to the window, where Jinora stood under an umbrella, obviously trying hard not to laugh. He frowned and rolled the window down. "Don't make fun of me. I was trying to relax."

She just giggled and gestured to the white bag on his lap. "I'm guessing that's our food?"

"Oh," he glanced at it and a sense of embarrassment sank down into his stomach. "Oh, yeah. Only place open."

"Ah. Dinner of champions. May I enter?" she smirked, and Kai realized just how grateful he was that she was a genuinely respectful person. The couple other "friends" he may have would jump at any opportunity to get a few laughs at his expense.

"Of course, m'lady," he answered, reaching across the passenger's seat to pop open the door. Jinora jogged over and closed her umbrella before sliding in and carefully shutting the door. They shared a long breath before it dawned upon him that he should be saying something. "How was dance?"

"Good," she smiled. "We have fittings tomorrow."

"Oh," he nodded, noticing against his will that she was just wearing tights, boots, and an oversized company jacket. "Do you want a burger?"

Jinora glanced over at him holding up the yellow-wrapped, steaming package and cleared her throat. "Oh. Actually, I don't eat meat."

Kai took a second to let that sink in. "Oh, sorry."

She smiled and shrugged. "It's okay. You didn't know."

"I thought I saw you eat fried chicken the other day at lunch, though," he pointed out. He'd never really noticed that he and Jinora shared the same lunch period before being in that stupid - but kind of fun - ballet.

She giggled and shook her head. "That was deep fried asparagus. Which I really shouldn't be eating; my dad doesn't want me eating fried foods as often as I do, but it's really good."

Kai made a face. "Asparagus? You're kidding." He unwrapped a BigMac and took a bite. "I don't think I could live without meat."

Jinora reach over and took the box of fries. "Yeah, well. My family's always been vegetarians."

"Really?" he helped himself to another bite of reheated beef. "Why?"

"It's more humane," she smiled to herself. "I don't like the thought of eating dead animals, so I'm perfectly fine with the tradition."

"It's not eating dead animals," he countered, "it's meat."

Jinora raised an eyebrows and swallowed a French fry, obviously unamused. "Oh, really?"

"Yep," Kai smiled. "I like meat, okay?"

She made a face. "Ugh. I'm in a car, alone, with a _meat-eater_."

"Hey!" he protested, and she laughed. Kai had never really paid attention to laughs, but lately he discovered Jinora's was his favorite. It always made him want to join in, but today he was content just watching her. "So, what's your favorite food?"

"What?" she set her fingers on her nose as if it would muffle the giggles still escaping.

"What's your favorite food?" Kai repeated. "I mean, being vegetarian, you don't have lots of options."

Jinora narrowed her eyes and brought her hand down to her chin, as if her body had to show how much she was thinking. "Well," she shrugged. "There's always noodles."

"That's boring!"

She glared at him in good humor. "Fine. Probably dumplings. Meatless dumplings, mind you. What about you?"

He shrugged. "Ramen."

She laughed and clapped as if it were the funniest punch line ever spoken. "Who's boring now, huh?"

Kai smirked. "Alright, then. I really like custard tarts. Egg custard tarts."

Jinora paused, the tip of her fry brushing against her lips. "You're kidding."

"Uh, nope?"

"That's my dad's favorite!"

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, yay. Comparing me to your father."

She shook her head excitedly. "I'm not joking, it is! That's so cool."

Kai wrinkled his nose. "I don't want to be like your dad. I may have to change my favorite food now." Jinora laughed at that. "No, I'm serious! I can't have the same favorite food as the great Representative Tenzin Gyatso."

She shoved his shoulder. "Be quiet. You're perfectly fine."

Kai pouted. "But I eat meat."

The rain had started pounding harder, but Jinora's lips curved up into a genuine smile. "Even though you eat meat."


	3. Impossible

**Because that was the best title I could come up with oops**

I.

The first time Kai ate breakfast with Jinora, it was the most vegetarian thing he'd eaten to date. Probably because it was the only breakfast he'd eaten with a vegetarian.

It was Saturday morning, and the frost on the grass and playground equipment confirmed that yes, it was the middle of December, and yes, it was officially winter break. Jinora had called him the night before, apologizing for not being available lately (he was still deciding whether or not he was okay with it) and asking him if he wanted to eat breakfast in the park since she'd be at dance for a six-hour dress rehearsal later. Now, seated on a blanket-covered park bench eating peanut butter and marshmallow whip on tortillas, he decided there could be worse placed to be.

"I'm not looking forward to how sore I'll be tomorrow," Jinora said. She had her legs folded under her, which put her at the same height as him. "It's going to be horrible."

He patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll go and have fun for you."

She smiled and punched his shoulder. "Oh, hush up. You've never had to wear pointe shoes."

"What's so bad about them?" Kai asked. "I mean, it's just like standing on your tip-toes." Jinora glared at him. "What?"

"Your toes," she began, setting her tortilla on the picnic basket so she could make motions with her hands, "are in this box. And you're on the very tips of your toes, so your entire weight is on that one toe, basically. It hurts."

Kai shrugged and she scoffed. "Eh. I'll bet I could do it."

"Oh, please," Jinora rolled her eyes. "You could barely dance in normal shoes."

"_Come on_," he shot her a half-hearted glower. "I would totally do pointe just to prove you wrong."

She guffawed. "I'd love to see you try."

"I'll ignore that sarcasm," he rolled up his tortilla and swung it like a baton. "What's the next production?"

She thought a moment, trying to remember. Kai liked the way her eyebrows tensed whenever she zoned out. "I think it's _Snow White_. At least, that's what we usually do. That or _Sleeping Beauty_."

"And do those require a voluntary prince?"

"Yes."

"Okay," he took a bite of his tortilla. "Sign me up."

Jinora paused and gaped at him. "What?"

"I'll volunteer this time."

"Wait, _what?_"

He turned to her. She looked like she was going to be sick. "Why are you so surprised? I mean, I was in the last one. I'll do it again, sure."

Jinora blinked. Somewhere in the background, a kid screamed. Kai shifted. "I'm ... sorry," she said after a while. "That just kind of caught me off guard."

"Oh," he furrowed his brows. "How come?"

"I just really didn't expect you to want to do it again," she shrugged and hastily took a swig of her orange juice.

"I never said I wanted to do it," he pointed out. "I just said I wanted to prove you wrong."

Jinora shook her head and smiled. "You're impossible."

II.

The first time Kai asked his foster parents if he could go to the ballet, they said it was impossible.

"What?" His brows knit themselves together. "Why?"

Mr. Fong sighed. "Kai, you've been sent to the principle's office ten times in three months. You snuck out to that party in October. You were even arrested last year."

"But, I swear," he pleaded, "I've put all that behind me! Why can't you just let me go to this one thing?"

"We have been overly generous in allowing you to go to the park," Mrs. Fong put in.

"But you kept checking up on me via text."

"And allowing you to use the car."

"Nothing happened to it. That's just more proof that –"

"And allowing you to take part in that ballet."

Kai locked his jaw. "But you supported that! This is just a three hour thing I'm going to, why won't you let me go?"

"Kai, you know you have a one-hour limit on how long you're out," Mr. Fong put in. Nobody had yet touched the meal still sitting on the table, but he was now stirring his mashed potatoes with his fork. "And you've broken that limit four times now. Punishments have to be held."

"What if you guys go with me?" Kai blurted, and the round-faced woman sitting to his right sighed.

"Kai, you know about our work schedules," she clucked.

"But," his foster father mused, "that is a very good idea."

Kai huffed. "I don't need praise like a little kid. I just want to –"

"What if you take Mako and Bolin?" Mr. Fong cut him off. "They can be your chaperones. We trust them."

He swallowed. Maybe it was just better if it were impossible.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry it was so short. :c I promise I'll make the next one longer! I swear! In the meantime, read some of my other stuff. If you don't want to haha oh well I'll be writing<strong>

**Also, I really like the new cover image. :D**


	4. The Nutcracker

**AN: Warning: Fluffiness.**

**This is probably my favorite chapter so far. I loved bringing in different characters. I loved writing some more fluffiness. I just I can't I love writing so much**

**Oh, and to words-with-dragons, whom asked if I purposefully chose Fong as Kai's last name ...**

**... maybe.***

I.

The first time Kai asked his "brothers" to go to a ballet, it was mortifying.

"Come on, Mako, the kid's just trying to cultivate his appreciation for art," Bolin insisted, gesturing widely with his hands and accidentally slapping Kai on the face.

Mako, the older of the two, just glowered from his reading chair (Kai insisted it was really his knitting chair, due to the grandmotherly pattern, but he learned quickly that Mako could punch pretty hard.) "Bo, you don't even know half of the words you just said."

Bolin shrugged. "Okay, maybe. But still –"

"He's a senior in high school, and a _boy_, Bolin. He wouldn't be going to this ballet if there wasn't something in it for him," Mako turned his eyes to Kai, who sunk further into the apartment's lopsided couch.

"But, bro, he took part in the –"

"That's because he was getting paid," Mako sighed. "_He's_ paying to go to this one. So why _are_ you going, exactly?"

"Maybe I just want to," Kai shot back.

"Kai, be serious."

"Why does it matter?" he exclaimed. "Why can't you just agree and be done with it? I'll even pay for both of you! That sounds pretty not-ulterior-motive-y, right?"

Bolin nodded quickly and faithfully, but Mako just folded his arms and studied him. The silence was tight and it made Kai extremely uncomfortable. Outside the window, a light snow had started to fall on the city. Of course, Mako and Bolin were on a budget, so that meant it was pretty cold inside, too. Kai was considering jumping up and changing the thermostat before either of the brothers could tackle him, but then somebody was talking.

"– but I guess that, as long as we keep our eye on you," Mako continued, "I guess it'll be fine."

Kai's eyebrows shot up along with him. His legs were shaking with so much excitement and relief he could barely stand. "Wait, seriously?

"Anything for our little brother," Bolin clapped him on the back, grinning widely.

"Sure," the elder grumbled, turning back to doing some paperwork.

Kai's mouth hurt from smiling so much. "Yes! Thank you, guys! I know how this is important to - I mean, it means a lot!" He grabbed the doorknob and shoved it open. "I promise I'll make it up to you!"

The door clicked shut and Bolin shook his head wistfully. "He's growing into quite the stand-up young man, isn't he, Mako?"

His brother scoffed. "Come off it, Bo. He just wants to see girls in skin-tight outfits."

"Oh. You think?"

"I _know_."

II.

The first time Kai paid to attend a ballet, Bolin was singing.

Maybe humming was more accurate, but it was nonetheless annoying. The three of them pulled up to the local theater, Mako driving and Kai in the back seat like a ten-year-old, and spent five painstakingly crucial minutes trying to find a parking space. Bolin was happily yakking along about "brotherly bonding" and "going on adventures together," while Kai was panicking (what if they didn't make it inside in time?) and Mako was shooting him shifty glares via the rearview mirror.

The three of them hadn't met until two years prior. Kai had just been relocated (or moved, as his fosters liked to say, but he thought "relocated" sounded way cooler) to Republic City in mid-June. The organization he was in was sort of like an orphanage, with lots of dorms and lots of hey-let's-set-you-up-with-a-needy-but-oh-so-loving-couple meetings. Bolin, a senior at the time, had volunteered to be his mentor, and introduced him to brooding college freshman Mako. Spoiler: Mako hadn't changed much since then.

Other than that, Kai didn't know much about the brothers. He knew they didn't have parents, and that both had a foggy and low-key criminal record (which, as off-standish as Mako could be, was hard to believe.) He knew vaguely of Bolin's romantic history (which included a possessive goth girl - Mako wasn't always closed off, thankfully, because that was just a _golden_ detail) and he was told stories about a "beautiful, chocolate-skinned, ocean-eyed, incredibly popular princess warrior that Mako fell in love with his junior year." To state the obvious, Bolin was the storyteller. Why they broke up, Kai had no idea, but apparently it had ended roughly the winter before he showed up.

Other than that, he had gotten close to the brothers purely off of hanging out together. They didn't know much about his past, he didn't know much about their past, and nobody really needed a full backstory to be best friends, right?

So, as Bolin started humming some Disney song as they walked in the front doors, Kai wasn't surprised.

"Bolin," Mako hissed, "we're in public. At least try _not_ to act like a three-year-old, okay?"

Kai settled into line. There were only a few people between him and the white fold-up table where a woman was handing out tickets. He shifted impatiently, fiddling with his jean pockets and trying to ignore the fact that a flannel shirt felt so weird when it actually fit him. And it was buttoned up, which made it worse. Curse him for wanting to look presentable.

"I can't help it!" Bolin protested. "It's stuck in my head."

Kai took a step forward.

"Why in the world is that stuck in your head?"

Another step.

"Hey, I was watching The Lion King with Meelo and Ikki yesterday," Bolin held up his hands. "Not my fault."

The lady in front of Kai said a thank you and moved by the desk. That's when it clicked.

"Wait, who? Why were you with Jin–" he began, but Mako nudged him in the arm.

The lady at the desk smiled up at him. "Tickets for three?"

Thirty seconds of shuffling money and clicking registers later (plus another ten for directions), Kai led the two brothers into the lobby. "Wait, I'm still confused," he turned to Bolin. "How do you know –"

"Let's just find our seats and sit through this," Mako set a hand on both of their shoulders and walked them to the theatre doors. "Quietly."

The hurried steps down to their row was painful. Kai was aching to find out just how Bolin was acquainted with Jinora's family. He hadn't mentioned any of this before. But Mako sat between the two, with Kai closer to the center section (reserved for family, sadly) and Bolin seated next to a mother and daughter pair. Which made intense interrogation kind of har–

"Is this the company Jinora's in?" Mako was saying.

"Wait, now you know _Jinora_ too?" Kai exclaimed.

Mako furrowed his (kind of scary) brows. "Wait. You know Jinora?"

"How do you guys know her?" he hissed. "Why am I just now finding out about this?" The opening number began playing through the speakers, and Bolin loudly hushed the two of them.

"I'm confused," Mako glared at him. "You, _Kai Fong_, know _Jinora Gyatso_? How? She's such a nice girl!"

"Wait, excuse me? What's that supposed to mean? Besides, I asked you first!"

"You two! Hush," Bolin whisper-shouted. "I want to focus on the ballet, okay?"

Kai and Mako huffed in unison and slouched back in their seats. Kai had never been to a live performance of _The Nutcracker_, but the little girls in his old orphanage used to watch the Barbie version, and he suspected it was kind of the same. Lots of velvet, lots of Christmas decorations, lots of ribbons, lots of twirling, a nutcracker. Pretty accurate. The younger girls, maybe eleven or twelve, danced the parts of Clara and her cousins. They were pretty talented, if he was being completely honest with himself. Probably better than him. Probably.

When the first intermission swung around, Kai swirled in his chair to face Mako, but Bolin was grabbing him by the sleeve, close to tears about how beautiful the little kids were and how mean the brother was for breaking the nutcracker. Kai rolled his eyes and prayed the next five minutes would go by quickly. He brought back out his program, trying to drone out Bolin's sputtering, and flipped through the four pages back and forth. Finally settling on reading the cast list, he maybe went right to the G's.

Gallagher, Gilmore, Ghaza, Guccilo ... Gyatso. _Jinora Gyatso_, he read. He would never admit it to anybody, but he had secretly kept the program for _Giselle_ and had maybe spent a while just rereading her name at night. Not every day. Maybe.

But he couldn't help it, as stalkerish as he felt. He liked the way her name was spelled, how it sounded. It was different, and pretty, and it reminded him of blooming cherry blossom trees and picnics and cool autumn winds and floral spring breezes and good spirits he was a mess –

"So, wait a minute –" Mako began (again) only to be interrupted (_again_) but the opening score of the second act. Kai was disappointed to lose another chance to question him, but according to the program, Jinora was supposed to be in this act. Which meant the next five minutes would be complete, torturous anticipation.

And the first time Kai saw Jinora on stage, his heart stopped.

She was beautiful. Well, she always was, in his opinion, but she was wearing white and she was beautiful. That was the only thing replaying in his mind; _she is beautiful._ Her silvery pointe shoes moved effortlessly across the stage, and he sat up straight to get a better look. She was almost floating, gliding along. Her brown hair was pulled up into a bun, and when the false snow started drizzling down, some caught and made a little white crown. Kai let his jaw go a little slack.

"So, we're both talking about the same Jinora, right?" Mako whispered in his ear, and Kai just wanted to scream in his face, "_Bad timing, idiot!_"

"Of _course_ we're talking about the same Jinora," he hissed back, probably scowling. "There's only one Jinora Gyatso in the world."

"Representative Tenzin's daughter?"

"No, Bolin's secret step-cousin. Yes, Tenzin's daughter!" He turned back to the stage, and realized frantically that he'd lost sight of her.

"How do you know her?" Mako grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to sit back down, and Kai was so close to punching him.

"Shut up!" he snapped.

"Mako, Mako, hush," Bolin whispered, not taking his eyes off of the dancers. "It's so beautiful."

Mako sighed and relaxed back into his seat. Kai craned his neck one more time, but by then, the next number was playing. He made a mental note to punch Mako where it really hurt later. For now, he sat through the following two hours of the ballet (save a ten minute intermission). Seething. And missing Jinora.

By the time the cast lined up and did the customary bow, Kai had cooled off. Somewhat. He didn't see Jinora in the line-up, which was disappointing. But he discovered that cookies and punch were being served in the lobby, and that was a huge plus.

"Look what I got!" Bolin shoved a plate full of gingerbread cookies in his face. He'd been the first one to raid the tables, and Kai smiled. "And only for three bucks! Do you want one?"

"I'll get my own," he held up a hand and swerved around Bolin, who proceeded to stuff his face. Mako made a gesture to the side and mentioned something about making a donation, but Kai didn't pay attention. He had his sights set on a particularly appealing platter of green-sugared Christmas tree cookies. He'd just slipped a fiver in the donations box and reached for a paper plate when somebody tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey," Jinora grinned. "You came."

Kai wasn't sure who reached out first, but in a moment they were hugging, and he wasn't sure what kind of hug it was. A platonic hug? A good-to-see-you hug? A wow-look-I-just-performed hug? Or a wow-look-you-did-great-even-though-my-chaperone-kept-distracting-me hug, maybe. But all Kai could really think about was the fact that Jinora was really soft, and her hairspray was intoxicating, but he could still smell her underneath it. His chin was resting on her ear, and her face was tucked inside his neck and it felt so comfortable and right but then she was pulling away and he let out a breath. How long was that? Five seconds? Four?

"Where were you?" she asked him. "In the audience, I mean."

She was wearing stage makeup, he noted. It was a completely stupid note to make, though, because of course she was wearing makeup. "I was on the left," he said. "I mean, it would be your right, but my left. Right?"

She giggled. "Oh. I didn't see you."

"I saw you." _Wow, Kai, way to sound like an idiot._

"You did?" Her brown eyes widened, and the light caught in them. It kind of made them sparkle, and Kai really liked that.

"Well, Mako was bothering me," he shrugged, "but I saw you for like ten seconds."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Wait, Mako? You know Mako?"

"Uh, yeah," he nodded. "Actually, we were talking about how we all knew each other, but, uh –"

"How do _you_ know him?" Jinora tilted her head.

"Bolin was ... my _friend_," he managed. "And how do _you_ know him?"

"Korra," she said simply.

Kai raised his eyebrows. "Who? What?"

She just pointed over his shoulder and sighed. "Korra."

Kai whipped around. Over by the donations table, Bolin was talking to an athletic-looking young woman, maybe twenty or something, while Mako stood awkwardly to the side. The girl had her hair pulled up into a ponytail, with chocolate-colored wisps lazily framing her face. She wore a blue-and-white sweater with the sleeves shoved up, but looked a bit uncomfortable herself.

"So _that's_ the ocean-eyed princess," Kai muttered to himself.

Jinora turned her head sharply to face him. "What?"

"Oh, uh," he winced. "I'll explain later. Nothing."

She raised a wary eyebrow but dropped it. "Do you want me to introduce you?"

He hesitated. "Well, I, uh –" But then Jinora took his arm and he was rapidly approaching what was ensured to be an awkward situation.

"Jinora!" Korra exclaimed, her face brightening as she noticed them. She

stepped forward and enveloped her in a hug. "Oh, spirits, you did great!"

"Kai!" Bolin cried out, also embracing him. "Oh, how we've missed you!"

"I was gone for a minute, Bolin," he wheezed out, his ribcage probably dented from all the bear hugs in the last two years.

His "big brother" released him and Korra (though "ocean-eyed princess" really made her sound cooler, to be fair) studied him, resting her elbow on Jinora's shoulder.

"Who's this, your boyfriend?"

Jinora flushed. "This is Kai."

"Kai your _boyfriend_?"

"Korra," she hissed again, and the elder laughed.

"Hey, lighten up. It's about time you've gotten a boyfriend, in my opinion."

"Korra!" Jinora pleaded. Kai noted her cheeks were red, but he wouldn't put it pass himself if his were as well. "Anyways. Um."

"I vote noodles!" Bolin put in.

"Bolin, we're not going for noodles at eight o'clock at night," Mako put a hand on his temple.

"Why not?" Korra beamed. "We did that one time."

Kai didn't know much about relationships, but judging from Jinora's expression, Bolin's sudden quietness, and the tense look exchanged between Korra and Mako, that last comment had swerved into bad territory. It probably would've stayed that way if Bolin didn't lean over and "whisper" to Kai, "You see, these are the awkward silences I've told you about."

Jinora coughed a laugh and Korra looked mortified. Mako glared at the two boys. "Bolin –"

"Jinora," another voice called, and Kai turned to face, quite possibly, the cause of his death. He'd seen the pointy, well-combed beard in the papers and heard the resonating voice on the local news channel. But it took his brain a moment to comprehend the fact that the Representative Tenzin Gyatso was walking towards their group rather quickly. "Jinora, are you ready to go?"

"Uh," Jinora was glancing wildly between Kai and her father. "I just need to, you know, get changed."

"Korra," Tenzin turned to the dark-skinned girl. "Nice to see you here. Do you need a ride home?"

She shook her head. "Nah. I'm good. I actually came with Asami, but she's in the bathroom."

"Tell her I said hello." When he smiled, the old guy's eyes crinkled, which looked a bit funny to Kai. "And Mako, Bolin. What brings you two here?"

"Oh, just our little brother," Bolin jumped in, rubbing Kai's scalp with his knuckles. "Tenzin, have you met Kai yet? Gosh, it seems everybody knows Kai! We just found out Kai and Jinora are friends, even! But Korra on the other hand ..."

Jinora cleared her throat and tugged on her dad's shirt, but he was already regarding Kai in a way similar to a police officer; that I-don't-care-who-you-are-you're-in-trouble look. "Okay, Daddy, we can go now."

"I thought we were going for noodles," Bolin whined.

"Bo, you can go with Korra and Asami," Mako finally spoke up, and Kai was somewhat relieved. "I'll drive Kai back to his foster home. I'll pass."

Kai was too stunned to glare back at him. That was the one rule they'd set (okay, there were others, but this was the most important.) You don't mention Kai's foster status. Ever. That was the unthinkable. "Nice seeing you, Tenzin," Mako finished.

"And you," the older man nodded, but his gaze towards Kai was now a very, very protective one. Kai glanced back at Jinora, who waved like nothing at happened, and to Bolin, who stood next to a calm Korra, gawking at his older brother. Quick goodbyes were exchanged, and the next thing he knew, he was sitting in the passenger's seat, snow lining the streets and they drove along.

After a while, he couldn't stand the silence. "Why would you mention the foster home?" His voice was hard.

"Jinora's a good girl, Kai," Mako said simply. "I don't like the idea of you two hanging out."

"But was that really necessary?"

"I needed to give her some kind of a warning," he sighed. "Look, you're not that bad, but Jinora's a genuinely good kid, and you're trouble. I just don't want you to make a mistake that affects –"

"But why?" Kai's voice cracked. Mako glanced over, opening his mouth to say something back, but saw the streetlamps illuminating his face. He closed his mouth at the sight of a certain wetness pooling in the corner of his eyes and turned back to the road. The snow didn't stop falling the entire ride home.

**AN: *it's a yes**

**Well lots happened in this chapter. I don't think I've ever written so much in a day. And whoops poor Kai. As much as I like Mako, I had to create some tension between the two sorry**


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